Financial results are the leadership metric that gets the most attention, but here’s what the ‘total package’ of leadership results looks like. ‘What a great job he’s done!’ ‘She must be one of the best CEOs in the industry!’ “We’re lucky he agreed to come on board when he did!” You’ve heard remarks like that before and maybe uttered the same a few times yourself, but what inspires us to say such things? It could be because a highly skilled leader took the helm and set an enterprise back on course, it could be because an executive led a business to new heights and of course, it could be that an individual transformed a great idea into a thriving fast-track startup.
Do they all have leadership attributes in common? You bet! Money is the most attention-getting measure of their leadership, you know, metrics like profits/profitability, growth, share price, shareholder equity and more. All are important, some critical; dollars are the first way to keep ‘score.’ But, because of the influence they have on the sustainability of an enterprise, other leadership results deserve equal weight. Some are penned more often than others; here are but a few of those results that I admire most.
I’ve been inside well over one hundred enterprises. Most all were focused on the metrics but also pursed the ‘total package’ leadership results listed above. From both my observation and my personal experience, doing so is not always easy, but doing so almost inevitably improves the ‘score!’ Adverse economic conditions, predatory competitors and changing market dynamics can all distract, and when they do, is it worth it to stay the course? Customers, employees and shareholders would likely agree…an ecumenical approach to leadership has its own rewards.
Lesson learned.
By Fred Engelfried
Source: Chief Executive
Should you stay in your current role in hopes of a promotion or make a lateral, internal job change? That question will be familiar to many people who work at medium or large companies, where promotions aren’t always tied to internal role changes. To find out, use the P.R.O.M.O. method.
Most of us think we have to make a difficult, binary choice between being a good person or being a tough, effective leader. This is a false dichotomy. In truth, doing hard things is often the most human thing to do. There are two key ingredients — wisdom and compassion — and it takes learning and practice to lead with both, as well as some unlearning of conventional management habits.
A lack of transparency has been a workplace problem for years. Not only are workers happier in transparent workplaces, but they may also be more likely to stay in their jobs; research shows when communication is poor, many workers are more likely to consider leaving their positions.
